Saturday, 24 September 2016

Millers Bluff

23rd September 2016

Millers Bluff

Millers is a towering peak about 20kms west of Campbell Town on the edge of the Great Western Tiers. It is situated on privately held land, but a long held negotiation between the land owner and the bushwalking community means with a little forward planning it is easy to gain access to. I rang Mr Roderick O'Connor a few days before heading up to arrange picking up the key. He didn't require any payment, so I made him and his family some brownies. They were very much appreciated!

I picked up one of my best mates, Justin (who only now makes his debut on Abel Zane), at 8am to head out on the short drive past Cressy. After picking up the key from the beautiful homestead at Connorvale and driving up Lake River Road, we found the turn off onto Millers Bluff Road and went through the first locked gate. After a few short kilometres of driving we got to the washed out bridge crossing the Lake River. Our driving stopped here. Until June, it was possible to drive most of the way up, making Millers Bluff a short 1.5 hour return walk. But now an extra 5kms of road needs to be walked. We road bashed up, enjoying the beautiful bird calls and warm breeze. After a bit over an hour we found the best route up onto the northern ridge-line, bashing up through some light scrub but soon finding ourselves on the ridge, right next to a Tas Fire Service shed. We found the roughly taped route leading off from there, and followed it further along the ridge for 40 minutes until we emerged on the summit! The summit has several service towers on top, and a fantastic view looking out to the midlands, and back along the Tiers. After lunch on the heli-pad we decided to bash off the western side, down some steep scree and back onto the road. It took a little less time than the route up, and was heaps of fun because of all the huge boulders! The whole walk took us about 6 hours, and was a great day out with a dear friend. Woo!

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Who am I?

Hi, I'm Zane!

I am going to be climbing all of Tasmania's Abels over the quickest time period that I can, while still enjoying the ride! I started out with a time period that I wanted to achieve it by (to become the quickest 'Abelist'), but found I was putting unnecessary pressure on myself. So it's now purely about enjoying being in the mountains.

Come with me and share my adventure!

What is an Abel?

An Abel is a mountain in Tasmania that meets a certain classification. It must be over 1,100 metres in altitude and have a drop on all sides of at least 150 metres before the land starts to rise again. With this classification, 158 mountains are discerned from the landscape.

Some are simple daywalks, achievable by most people. And others are relatively remote peaks, with little or no track to them, creating a challenge for any wanting to see their splendor. Fun!

Why am I doing this?

The main reason I am doing this is purely for the adventure! I love my little island home and really enjoy getting outside to see and appreciate what a special place it is. And if I can share the adventure along the way, I think it's even better!

Contact

If you wish to contact me for use of images, publication, or to come on an adventure with me, please do so here:

FAQ

1. Why are you doing this?

For the fun and the challenge of it!

2. Have you climbed many Abels before?

Yes I have. I have climbed about 20 -25 of them over my life; both as personal trips and as my career as an bushwalking guide. I am starting 'afresh' so I can climb all 158 Abels in the quickest time I can, while still enjoying the experience.

3. How can you afford it?

I have saved some money over the past few years, and continue to work at an outdoor retail shop while I will be peak bagging. In reality though, it won't be a very expensive expedition as my main costs will be food and fuel!

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